In Susie Orbach's book Fat as a Feminist Issue, she is defending women from others pointing the finger at them and blaming there own self for being overweight. The ongoing debate is whether women are at fault themselves for overeating or if there is an underlying cause for their overeating and impulses. Susie Orbach agrees with feminist views on the issue.
Feminism views state that society has sex stereotypes that women feel obligated to fit into. For explanation on the stereotypes Susie Orbach is saying, "The media present women either in a sexual context or within the family, reflecting a woman's two prescribed roles, first as a sex object and then as a mother." In other words, women in society are pressured into looking good for men and to create a family. If this is unattainable for a women she is faced with failure and therefore makes a woman extremely self-conscious. The media provides women with the "ideal look" and defines what is beauty. Beauty also changes with time periods and requires women to change to conform to the definition of beauty. Most definitions of beauty today require women to be thin.
Orbach responds to this with, "Fat is a social disease, and fat is a feminist issue. Fat is not about lack of self-control or lack of willpower. It is a response to the inequality of the sexes." This is saying that women who are overweight are not to blame themselves. It is a "social disease" and they are influenced by society to be the perfect women. If women view themselves as fat it isolates and invalidates a woman. Susie Orbach argues, "fat expresses a rebellion against the powerlessness of a woman, against the pressure to look and act in a certain way". Women who feel the goal of being thin is unattainable the rebel and produce an image that is the opposite. Women want to be viewed for who they are and not what they are suppose to look like.
Feminism views state that society has sex stereotypes that women feel obligated to fit into. For explanation on the stereotypes Susie Orbach is saying, "The media present women either in a sexual context or within the family, reflecting a woman's two prescribed roles, first as a sex object and then as a mother." In other words, women in society are pressured into looking good for men and to create a family. If this is unattainable for a women she is faced with failure and therefore makes a woman extremely self-conscious. The media provides women with the "ideal look" and defines what is beauty. Beauty also changes with time periods and requires women to change to conform to the definition of beauty. Most definitions of beauty today require women to be thin.
Orbach responds to this with, "Fat is a social disease, and fat is a feminist issue. Fat is not about lack of self-control or lack of willpower. It is a response to the inequality of the sexes." This is saying that women who are overweight are not to blame themselves. It is a "social disease" and they are influenced by society to be the perfect women. If women view themselves as fat it isolates and invalidates a woman. Susie Orbach argues, "fat expresses a rebellion against the powerlessness of a woman, against the pressure to look and act in a certain way". Women who feel the goal of being thin is unattainable the rebel and produce an image that is the opposite. Women want to be viewed for who they are and not what they are suppose to look like.
picture(cm1.theinsider.com)- Shows how Faith Hill is altered and airbrushed to create a skinnier version for the media. This is an example of showing celebrities as "perfect" and creating ideal beauty for women to look at and size themselves up as not good enough.
No comments:
Post a Comment